A Life Without
by bubblygal
Summary: Jacob is keeping something from Bella, what could that be about? It turns out that a life without Edward sometimes can become even more complicated... chapter two coming soon!


I drove to La Push with the pedal glued to the floor

I drove to La Push with the pedal glued to the floor. It wasn't as if I was going to get caught for speeding, and if I did, I mean, come on. The worst would happen was that Charlie would ground me for a month or so. Considering Charlie is the chief and all, nothing was going to stop me. I needed to see Jacob. Now.

Jessica had gone too far this time, now this really got me mad. I should have known that she was a bad egg, and stayed as far as I could away from her. Which was transferring to an all girls school (as if she would go to one of those). But as always, I was clueless and stupid.

Then again, maybe this was just selfish of me. There are children out there starving in the world and I was worried about my own tiny problems that probably wouldn't matter within the next decade?

My foot eased on the pedal.

But Jacob always made me feel good, and if I wanted to feel good, in the next decade then yes. I guess this would kind of fade my self esteem. Which would not be good, and I could potentially starve myself from worry. Or something.

I hesitantly went a little faster as I passed the "Welcome to La Push" sign. Whatever. No matter what the situation, if I was in a slump, Jacob Black was the one to cure it.

A few minutes later I passed the local store and pulled up into his driveway, only to find him talking to his two best friends Quil and Embry. They looked like they were having a fight about something, Jacob was pointing to the forest behind his small house, and Quil and Embry were shaking their heads frantically. They were also in ripped up shorts and had no shirts on. Was that a new trend in La Push or something? When they're eyes locked on my red truck, they ran barefooted into the forest, and Jacob shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Hey Bells." he said giving me a welcoming kiss, helping me out of my truck. Wow. Talk about puberty. This boy was growing more and more each time I saw him!

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

"What about?"

"Why were you and Quil and Embry fighting? And why were they barefooted with no shirts?"

"Oh." he chuckled softly, or maybe just nervously, "Just something about... my dad."

"Jake, please don't lie to me. I'm stressed enough already and-"

"About what? Tell me everything." he pulled his big arms over my shoulders and rocked me against his chest. I noticed his sudden hope to change the subject, but I DID need to get this off my chest, and whatever that fight was about could come later. I would make sure to bring it up later. After breathing in one more breath of his sweet scent of trees (maybe it's a new cologne or something) told him about the whole day, and what I heard Jessica talking to Lauren and Mike about.

"Well then!" he said, spinning me around so I was facing him, his hands cupping my face, "I have to have a talk with them!"

"No, no!" I said quickly, not wanting anyone to get maimed from my eavesdropping abilities, "I can handle myself. I really just needed to get it off my chest. I was really stressed."

"No, seriously! I can get the whole gang together! Quil, Embry, Sa-" he cut himself off, and pursed his lips into a firm line across his face.

"Sam??" I nearly yelled, remembering the person who Jacob had recently told me he completley despised. Why would HE be hanging out with SAM? Sam creeped me out. Especially after I noticed he had a hobby of diving off of very high cliffs. Besides, wouldn't Jacob TELL me if he was hanging out with Sam? If he suddenly, for some odd reason, he decided he relativley liked Sam? Excuse me, but I told him everything. EVERYTHING. And he didn't tell me if he was hanging out with his 'arch enemy' (as he put it not so long ago)?

"No... I didn't mean Sam... I meant..."

"AGAIN with this whole lying thing Jake! Your nose is going to be growing as quickly as you if you don't stop it and tell me the truth." Then I paused, stood on my tip-toes and stared him with what was hopefully a deadly stare, "Now." It might have just looked stupid, but to tell you the truth, I was fed up with it.

"Bells... I'm sorry but this is a if I tell you I have to kill you thing." a playful look danced across his eyes for a second, but then it was gone.

I laughed coldly, "Jake. If you think I'm going to just PUT UP with this COMPLETE CRAP you're giving me. You're wrong." Then I turned on my heel, and began marching back towards my truck.

"Bells wait!" he called after me.

"Then tell me the truth, Jake." I said back without stopping.

"I-I can't. I'm sorry."

"Then neither can I." I opened the door and nearly shoved myself into the seat, slamming the door behidn me as hard as possible. Hopefully getting my point across. I heard some more pleads, even when I turned the radio on and began driving away, but I didn't look back once.

"That smells delicious, Bell!" Charlie sniffed the air as he walked into the kitchen a few hours later, "What is it tonight?"

I was stirring the sauce so furiously some of the sauce flew out of the pan and onto the stove, and a mushroom onto my sweater. Well that was going to stain. "Alfredo." I said blankly.

"Yum." he squeezed my shoulder, "I dont know what I'd do without you hear to help."

"Mhm." I mumbled as another mushroom flew out of the pan.

"Do you want to talk about whats bothering y-"

"No."

"Tell me when then. My door is always open." He winked, obviously pleased by his 'witty' comment, and walked away to grab the phone which now had began ringing.

I stirred and stirred while my dad talked in a harsh whisper into the phone in the room beside me. What could HE want to keep from me now? Then I heard him drop the phone and run out the door, yelling behind him "JACOB IS IN THE HOSPITAL ON LIFE SUPPORTING EQUIPMENT, I NEED TO GO SEE BILLY!"

All I remember is dropping the whole pan of sauce over my jeans and racing out the door after him before I began screaming hysterically.


End file.
